How long do I quarantine?

[sepaditty1]

A lady I know is giving me several pullets tomorrow. I've got a spot in the shed ready for their quarantine. No contact or shared space with my flock.

How long do I have to keep them seperated?

Also, when I do introduce the 2 flocks, is it recommended to treat with Corid right away even if no symptoms appear? Or is that a wives tale?

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

i keep mine separate for 2 weeks then have another week where they can see each other through a fence so they can get used to each other. I've to do the seeing each other through the fence part longer depending on the birds.
cocci is totally a threat, i do treat mine when i introduce, I've lost more than 1 bird to that.

 

[song of joy]

Recommended quarantine time is 30 days. After that, it's good to let them see each other through a fence for a couple of weeks before letting them mingle.

 

[sepaditty1]

Alright, Wednesday afternoon I brought home the 7 birds and set them up in the shed in a pen. I was super careful not to go near my current flock until after I had washed up. This shed is close to the current pen, but closed up. No chickens allowed...except now the ones in quarantine.

Wednesday, I saw my rooster, Spike, walking around the yard just doing what chickens do. Fast forward to Thursday afternoon. I get a call from my hubby when he gets home from work. "Did you see Spike today? He looks really sick." Oh, man! I had the new ones blocked off, its only been a day. What's going on?

His comb was covered in what looked like black tar. His neck was red, but in a weird way. He was perfectly white Foghorn Leghorn looking bird. Now, it looked like his comb leaked all over his neck. Imagine if you painted it red and then it rained. Sort of streaky & weird all over. His left ear was covered in what looked like barnacles. Did not see any sign of mites or worms. His left eye wouldn't open. He could stand and walk, but was less energetic than normal.

I immediately thought that the new birds must have somehow caused Cocci, so I mixed up the Corid in water. He wouldn't/couldn't drink any. Very disinterested in any food or water.

I had Cocci run through a couple years ago and lost several birds and I really really didn't want that to happen again. We made the very hard decision to cull him. I feel like it was sort of a rash decision since I didn't research what it could be and how we might save him. But I also didn't want anything to spread.

I put Corid in the water for everybody. I really hope someone can tell me what this was. Was it from the new birds? Did I have another option that I didn't try? What if more birds get whatever this is? Has anyone seen anything similar?

Oh, all the new birds are still separated, and seem to be fine.

 

[song of joy]

First - Are you sure he wasn't in a fight? This sounds like it could be injuries (black for dried blood, damaged comb, etc.). If you're sure it wasn't from a fight, see below.

If you have an agricultural college nearby, I'd definitely ask them about these symptoms as it doesn't sound like coccidiosis to me. Even if they're some distance away, I'd give them a call. A necropsy should probably be done and I think agricultural colleges and/or extension offices will do them for free.